What Kate Ate: Baby Food Basics, 6-8 Months

Nothing makes me quite as satisfied as making fresh and healthy meals for my family- baby food included! I've had so much fun making Kate's food these past couple of months and she is honestly loving everything that she eats! Summertime has also been ideal because there is such an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetable available. 

As soon as Kate turned 6 months old, I started her on vegetable purees. I did a new food every 2-3 days so that I could watch out for any reactions. As time went on, I didn't wait as many days to try new foods but was careful not to give her vegetables that may cause any extra gas, as she has a sensitive little tummy! (see also: I learned my lesson with cauliflower!) 

COOKING METHODS + APPLIANCES

I use my Beaba Babycook to steam and puree all of the baby food and I am still loving it as much as I did when Will was a baby. In fact, my original machine actually died shortly after Kate turned 6 months old. Beaba was a dream to work with and sent me a reconditioned Babycook- all I had to pay was shipping! I just love the convenience of having one appliance that steams and purees everything. It's so easy to have it running while I'm doing other things around the kitchen or the house. When my Babycook was out of commission for those few weeks, I simply set up a steam basket in a small pot and then pureed in my mini Cuisinart food processor. 

VEGGIES

Avocado

Peas

Green Beans

Zucchini

Sweet Potato

Butternut Squash

Parsnips

Carrots

Yellow Squash

All of these veggies are great for baby's first foods! Aside from the avocado, which I mash myself, I steam all of the veggies prior to pureeing. The vegetables are listed above in the order that I gave them to Kate. I tried cauliflower early on but it really irritated her stomach! As a result, I also steered clear of broccoli until later. The only thing she really didn't love was green beans. I found that adding avocado to the beans made everything better! To add in some healthy fats and a little flavor, I frequently pour some olive oil in the veggie purees as well as add a tiny pinch of kosher salt. 

FRUITS

Bananas

Peaches

Blueberries

Apples

Strawberries

Watermelon

Mango

Cantaloupe

Plums

Since I started with dinner as Kate's first "meal", I stuck with vegetables for the first 2 weeks before adding in fruits. I then alternated fruit/vegetable when introducing new foods! 

HERBS

Basil

Thyme

Rosemary

Cloves

Cinnamon

I didn't wait too long before I started adding some herbs and spices to Kate's foods. It's a fun way to mix things up and makes the food extra tasty! Zucchini and summer squash with basil is one of her favorites! She also loves roasted blueberries with cinnamon and pears or apple with cloves. I add the herbs to the cooked fruits or vegetables and then puree them together.

STORING

Making big batches of food at a time is a great way to save from making food every single day! I typically store my food in the fridge for 3-5 days and in the freezer for 3 months. I love the Beaba multiportion silicone containers. The food freezes in little pods, pops out, and then I store them in small freezer bags, each labeled with whatever food is in them! So easy. 

For more on my Baby's First Food Essentials, see my list here! Happy baby food making!